Artist Happenings

Kim Ferrer was recently featured in "The Hangman at Home", an award-winning virtual reality experience that immerses viewers in a series of quietly charged domestic moments where the roles of witness and participant intersect.  The physical component of the exhibition was designed by Ferrer, with support from Broadway prop artisan Nathan Cory Seymour, along with a team of art instructors and students. Through rich textures, subtle lighting, and dynamic framings of space and movement, the Hatton Gallery was transformed into an immersive environment of communal exchange.

Cara Enteles has just completed a large public art commission for the Apple Valley Elementary School in Yakima, Washington.“The Bounty of Yakima” is a permanent project made possible by the Washington State Arts Commission. The 2 large paintings are inspired by the natural beauty of the Yakima Valley. The paintings bring the local landscape, flora into the main lobby areas of the school. The students particularly like finding the hidden animals in the paintings.

Melana Bontrager was curated into the Spring edition of ART SEEN magazine. ART SEEN is a contemporary art magazine featuring an international selection of current visual artists. Copies are available in digital or print here. 

Elaine Coombs & Heather Patterson will be showing some of their latest paintings at the Affordable Art Fair New York with KW Contemporary Art, booth A4.  The annual spring fair runs from March 19-23 at the iconic Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea.

Get To Know

Farida Hughes

Featured artist in out current exhibition

Give me the basics.
I am currently based in Baltimore, MD, but was born in New York State and grew up mainly in New Jersey. In childhood I lived for two years in Texas, college was spent back in New York, then grad school in Chicago. After getting my MFA I moved to western Maryland with my husband and was there for several years; then to southern Virginia, then to the Twin Cities in Minnesota for ten years before landing back in Maryland. Moving frequently has been challenging, educational, and transformative, always pushing me to adapt and reinvent myself while learning about other people and environments.

Tell me about your art journey.
Art has been MY constant path-I was always creating as a kid, took every class and opportunity I could. By the time I hit my teens I knew would be an artist. Though I initially compromised with a BA from Fordham University in NYC instead of attending art school, I later earned my MFA from the University of Chicago, drawn to its rigorous education and access to a big city. My career has taken me through teaching, graphic design work, and a constant exploration of materials, leading to an ebb and flow of gallery representation through connections and outreach. 

My work has evolved through experimentation, particularly with resin, which I discovered by accident. I used to make my own oil mediums, doing a lot of research and experiments in chemistry to get my paint to do what I wanted it to do. I was searching for the right materials to create the language that I wanted on my canvas, and once I discovered how resin could perform in different ways with oil paint, it opened up a lot of worlds for me. My process of building up layers of colored epoxy is slow and intentional, but I am drawn to the depth and possibilities of this medium. 

Outside of works that are more gallery appropriate, I love exploring interdisciplinary projects that feed my different creative outlets, like Below the Surface, a live performance collaboration with a classical percussionist.

What inspires you?
Light-whether the sun breaking through a gloomy day or the glow of stars and moon-deeply influences my work. I’m inspired by the passage of time, new experiences, and cultural exchanges. Meeting people, hearing different languages, and traveling all refresh my perspective and fuel new ideas.

What are you most proud of in your art career? 
The most meaningful moments come when people share how my work has impacted them. One story that stays with me is from a mother whose son, recovering from a traumatic brain injury, finds comfort in parking his wheelchair beneath my paintings at a hospital in Richmond. That has been one of my most treasured interactions with someone in relation to my art. Knowing that my work can create emotional connection with others is incredibly fulfilling.

What are you looking forward to this year?
I’m heading to two exciting artist residencies-at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts and in Jemez Springs, NM-where I’ll be experimenting with installation work and natural pigments. I’m also preparing for another big move, finally back to New York to settle in Westchester County. The transition will have me bouncing between Baltimore and NYC for a while, but I’m eager to return to a place that has always felt like home.

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